Control. What a
deceptive word. What a deceptive idea. To think that anyone really
has control is ignorance. Well, any full control. Most people can
control themselves enough not to go out and kill anyone who slightly
annoys them. But then again, most people don't hear voices in
their head. No, that's mainly me.

My professor's voice
droned on and on. Most of the students in the small classroom were
dozing or sending text messages to one another. They were doing
normal teenage things. I was sitting stiffly upright in my desk,
resisting the urge to stuff my fingers in my ears, and trying in vain
to ignore the voice in my head. I had never considered myself a
normal teenager.

He's an imbecile,
and you know it. She said, Put everyone out of their
misery. Shoot the damn man. Stab him. Rip out his intestines and
strangle him with them

Usually I could ignore
that thing; that voice. Hell, it even used to be a comfort for me.
But now, now it's hard to even control my thoughts. They don't
seem like my own anymore. They're…Hers now.

The loud ring of the
school bell silenced the voice, for now. The rest of the normal
students filed past me, anxious to fill their vapid minds with the
latest gossip before going to their next class. That's all they
care about. To them, school is one big event for socializing, with
the classes stuck in to fill time.

Of course, I pretend
to be like them. It didn't take me long to figure out that
conformity equals normality in the world. And though I'm
everything but normal, it pays to act like I am.

"Anna."

I was so accustomed to
hear voices inside my head it took me a few seconds to realize that
my teacher was speaking to me. "Yes, Mr. Digby?" I asked,
turning toward him reluctantly. I had a feeling about what he wanted
to talk to me about, and it wasn't anything I wanted to discuss.

"I need to speak to
you about your grades," he said grimly.

I sighed audibly and
walked to his desk. "Yes?" I asked again.

He motioned for me to
sit at the desk closest to him. I did, unwillingly, and looked at
him with my eyes wide with false curiosity. The moment of relief
from Her was over, and she started her rant again.

"Anna, your grades
have dropped dramatically since last year," he began pedantically.

Why should you
listen to this man? He wants you to fail, She began
angrily.

"You've dropped
from an A average to a D…"

You do your work
and you know it. He's an idiot…

"…I know
it's not just in my class, either, I've checked with your other
teachers and their answers were disappointing…"

…It would be
putting everyone else out of their misery as well. Think of it as
community service…

I couldn't take any
more. My mind was being assaulted from the inside and out. I needed
an escape. "I'm sorry Mr. Digby," I said sweetly, interrupting
him. "I've had a lot going on in my life lately, and I haven't
been able to concentrate on my schoolwork. I appreciate your
concern." I rose from the desk without invitation. "I'll see
if I can do some extra credit at home."

I bolted out of the
classroom before he could stop me. As soon as I was clear, I let out
a big sigh of relief. Only one voice to deal with.

The halls were nearly
empty. Only a few couple lingered, kissing each other goodbye and
walking hand in hand to their significant other's next class. I
nearly gagged; it was so sappy, so…unnecessary.

"Hey, Anna!" I
turned from the couples to find my best friends, Shannon and Lily,
sprinting down the hallway towards me. Instantly, I lapsed into
teenager mode.

"Hi, guys," I
said, ignoring Her voice. It was easier now that I was with
my friends. She was always quieter when I was around people I
liked.

"What did Digby
want?" Lily asked, tossing her auburn hair.

"Ugh. He wanted to
discuss my grades. As if I don't know that I'm failing,"
I said disgustedly,

"Aaron's such a
busybody," Shannon said, cracking her gum. She always called the
teachers by their first names, even to their faces. "I was helping
Margaret in the teacher's lounge the other day, and he kept talking
to everyone about how 'disappointed' he is."

"I'm sick of
school. Let's skip seventh," I said, walking down the hallway.
I expected Shannon and Lily to follow me, but they hung back.
"What's wrong, you guys?"

"Um…" Lily said,
looking at Shannon. I knew that Shannon, a teacher's pet, would be
reluctant to ditch, but usually Lily was up for anything.

"We don't think
you should be skipping with such low grades," Shannon said slowly.

They don't
believe in you either. Real friends would want to cheer you up. I'm
your only real friend…

"And we think that
maybe you're a bad influence on us," Lily added.

See? I'm the
only one you can trust. Trust me, Anna…

"Oh," I said,
shaking my head in a futile effort to get Her to shut up. "I
see how it is. I used to be your friend, but now I'm just the girl
with no father and failing grades."

"It's not like
that!" Shannon said, reaching out to me, "It's just that you've
skipped five times this month, and it's causing our grades to drop,
too."

"Fine. I get it.
Whatever," I said, walking away.

You don't need
them. You don't need anyone. You have me.

I was starting
to wonder if She was right…

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